Larson's Quest
by LifesPawn
Summary: A slightly AU fic which follows Tomb Raider 1 from Larson's P.O.V. with some changes of my own- Explosive Chap. 5 up with more plot changes!
1. Ascent

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Tomb Raider characters in this story, nor do I plan to profit from their use. This is just for fun.  
  
Larson stepped into Ms. Jacqueline Natla's office on the top floor of her Natla Enterprises office tower. "You wanted to see me, Ma'am?" He asked.  
"I have a new assignment for you, Larson," said Natla. Ms. Natla was somewhat of an enigma in the business world. An unknown 20 years ago, she had used her own resources and business savvy to build one of the top 100 business conglamerates in the world. Time magazine recently ran an article about her, calling her the "richest woman in the world". It wasn't exactly true, however her company was the largest in the world that was headed by a woman.  
Larson was Natla's "executive assistant", but that didn't really describe what he did. Sure, he answered phones and handled company coorespondence, but he was also Natla's muscle. He was her personal bodyguard, and also headed up security whenever a franchise of hers opened in a hostile part of the world. He also did recruiting for Natla's "special assignments", such as the one Natla was about to give him.  
"There's a very special someone I need for a very special project," Natla continued. She punched some keys on her laptop and turned it towards Larson. "Lara Croft- archeologist, excavator, adventurer. She recently assisted a team uncovering some ancient and valuable treasures in Iraq, which now reside in the Baghdad National museum. I want you to get her for me. By any means necessary," she added with emphasis.  
Larson knew what that meant. First large monetary offers, then flattery. But if she wouldn't come willingly he would have to subdue her by force and kidnap her, taking her someplace where Natla would force her new recruit to work in exchange for her freedom. Natla could be cold sometimes, but she always got things done.  
"Nice," commented Larson. He was a devout admirer of the female form, and Lara was one fine specimen of feminity. Larson sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to resort to using force on her.  
"Yes she is," Natla replied dryly. "Just remember what you've been sent out to do. And remember- you belong to me." A veiled threat, Larson knew. The closer one got to Natla, the more dangerous it was to cross her. No woman, no matter how attractive, was worth arousing the wrath of his boss.  
"Don't worry. I'll reel this fish in for ya!" Larson drawled.  
"Good. That will be all," said Natla, and dismissed him.  
***  
It turned out that Lara agreed to the quest without the need for physical violence. She wasn't swayed by money but rather was enticed by her sense of adventure. The two of them packed up for the Andes mountains in Peru. Natla explained to Lara via satellite that Larson would be along to provide "outside security" up to the entrance of the cave leading to Qualopec's tomb. But neither Larson nor the native guide had any skills in spelunking so Lara would have to continue on alone. In reality, Natla had told Larson to stay with Lara to make sure the goods were delivered to her. Lara was no fool and must know that the artifact she was seeking was worth a fortune. Natla couldn't have her running off and selling it to the Smithsonian. Larson would make sure of that.  
So the three adventurers made their way up the mountain trail leading to the cave entrance. The trail was covered with snow and the wind was blowing hard. Lara trotted ahead spiritedly with the quiet Peruvian guide close behind. Larson struggled at the rear, slipping and cursing. He was large and strong but not very quick or agile. Climbing was definitely not his strong point. Larson's boot hit a sheet of ice and he came crashing to the ground, with most of the party's gear landing on top of him.  
"Goddammit!" Larson bellowed.  
Lara looked back with an amused expression. "Come on, Larson! Get the lead out!"  
Larson struggled to his feet and managed to smile back. He didn't want to lose his temper in front of a woman, especially one as attractive as Lara. And he remembered Natla's offer to share part of the bounty with him once the Scion was recovered. "I'll be right there, Ms. Lara. Just sit tight for a sec."  
Lara spoke quickly to her guide in Spanish, who hurried back to help Larson with the gear. "Almost there," the guide told Larson in broken English. "Entrance just ahead." Larson followed in the guide's footsteps to avoid any more slippery patches. In another 5 minutes, the three were standing at the cave entrance.  
"Now what?" Asked Larson. The guide shrugged.  
Lara studied the hieroglyphics on the entrance. "Hmm. It's a puzzle, of course. The ancients loved puzzles. Ahah!" And with that she climbed up to the top of the gate and pressed a block. They heard a click, then the gate slowly rumbled open. The guide cried out with delight. Larson looked through the doors but could see only blackness. Then he saw glowing points of yellow light. First two, then four, six, eight. They were moving towards him quickly. As the charging figures emerged from the darkness he realized they were eyes. The eyes of wolves on the attack. Larson cursed and drew his Glock 9 millimeter. He pumped his entire magazine into the leading wolf, who yelped and slid to a stop almost at his feet. The other three were tearing at the guide who was unarmed. Larson fed another magazine into his pistol and aimed at the wolf pack, but couldn't find a clear shot.  
"Hey!" Lara yelled at the wolves. She leaped down from the ledge and howled to get their attention. She must have hit the right note, because all three turned to Lara and charged. She let out a warrior yell as she drew two 9 millimeter pistols and blazed away with both hands. She dropped one wolf, then two. Her magazines ran dry and she stopped to reload. Larson drew a careful bead on the final wolf and shot it straight through the heart.  
They stood for a moment in shock, panting and holding their smoking pistols at their sides. Then Lara walked over to the guide and knelt down to check his pulse.  
"Is he-?" Larson asked.  
"Dead." Lara answered. They were silent for a moment as they paid their respects. Larson looked at the dead wolves, then Larson. "Nice shooting."  
"Thanks. I could've done even better if I had more firepower. Never thought there'd be wolves up in these mountains."  
"So are you coming in? I don't think you're very fond of ice and snow. It should be warmer inside."  
Larson's original instructions were to wait at the cave entrance while Lara worked her way through the underground maze to retrieve the Scion. She would then bring the Scion back to Larson and he would pay her. It sounded fine in theory, but now that Larson was there he didn't relish the idea of waiting out in the cold for hours.  
"I'll keep you company, lil' lady. I just have to make a phone call first." He opened up his laptop and punched in Natla's number. "Go on ahead. It's kind of a private call." He took on last look at Lara as she disappeared into the cave. "Thank you for this assignment Ms. Natla," he murmered to himself. 


	2. Descent

Larson opened up his laptop and dialed Natla's office on the built-in satellite videophone. "Welcome to Natla Enterprises," he heard, "If you know your party's extension please dial it now. Otherwise please hold for the-"  
"Ms. Natla, is that you?" Larson interrupted. The screen flickered to life to show Natla's laughing face. "You wouldn't believe how many people fall for that one! Oh boy," her laughter subsided. "So what's happening down there?"  
"We're at the cave entrance. Some wild animals came at us and killed our guide, but we took care of them."  
"Is Lara alright?"  
"Not a scratch on 'er. She's an amazing shot."  
"Excellent. Within an hour we'll have the Scion."  
"Ms. Natla, I think it might be better if I go inside with Lara. There could be more trouble inside and she might need my help again."  
"You're going spelunking? I thought you hated climbing."  
"It's better than freezing my butt off out here, Ma'am."  
"Hmm," Natla thought for a moment. "Once you go inside the cave you're not going to be able to reach me by sat-phone. So I'm going to have to tell you now."  
"Tell me what?"  
"When Lara retrieves the Scion from Qualopec's tomb, I want you to kill her."  
Larson gaped with shock. "Are you... serious, Ma'am?"  
"Deadly serious. I know you're the right man for the job. Make me proud!" And she disconnected.  
***  
"Mmmph!" grunted Lara as she pulled herself up onto a ledge. "Your turn, Larson!" Larson tried to imitate Lara's leaping grab but couldn't reach the top of the ledge. He picked up a nearby boulder and positioned it under the ledge. He stood on top of it and reached out for the top of the ledge. Just as he grabbed it the boulder tipped over and he was left dangling. He scrabbled for a foothold but couldn't find one. "Lara, help!"  
"Here, take my hand!" Lara grabbed his wrist and pulled backwards with all of her strength. "Mmmph!" She said again. Assisted by Lara's pull, Larson was able to walk his way up the rock wall to the top. He rolled onto his stomach and lay panting for a minute.  
"Man, I hope there's not too many of those!" Larson said.  
"Me neither. It's like lifting a 250 pound sack of Idaho potatoes!"  
"'Cept I'm from Georgia. Heh!"  
Lara looked ahead and saw the entrance to the city. "Well, the first stage is finished. From what I've heard there's a key to be found and a few switches to be pulled. But there's no need to drag you along for that. All of the doors are more or less on ground level."  
Larson sighed gratefully. "Right. I'll stay down here and watch out for the big bad wolf. Or bear, as the case may be." They had already encountered one grizzly bear in the caves so far and it had taken all of their combined firepower to bring it down. Larson knew where there was one bear there could be others.  
Together they entered the City of Vilcabama and faced down another pack of wolves. It took a lot of shots, but Lara had an enormous supply of 9 millimeter ammo in her packpack. Larson was able to borrow from Lara's ammo since their guns were the same caliber. Once the threats were exterminated they searched for a door with a keyhole. When they found it Lara told him to wait there while she found the key. Larson gratefully accepted. He hoped it wouldn't be much further because the climbing was wearing him out.  
As he waited for Lara's return he thought about Natla's order. Could he really kill this young, energetic woman in cold blood? It wouldn't be the first time Larson had killed, but the other times had been in self defense. He had faced down armed militia groups when Natla was opening a new branch in Indonesia, on Timor Island. But it was easier for him to kill someone if they were shooting at him first. Could he really shoot Lara in the back? He had only known her for a few hours but he was already starting to like her. This job could be the most difficult he'd ever had.  
His thoughts were broken by the sound of Lara trotting back to him. "Ready to continue?" He nodded.  
"I love this part," Lara said as she pulled the silver key from her pack. "Opening a door that hasn't been opened for centuries, not knowing what's inside. . ." She sighed.  
"After you!" Larson said, graciously extending his arm.  
They trotted through the doorway and into a long hall. At the end of the hall were three doorways- the left one open, and the center and right doors shut. "I don't see a keyhole for either of these, but maybe we don't have to bother with 'em. The left one's open," said Larson.  
"Oh yes we will," corrected Lara. "Judging by these hieroglyphics, the center door is the one we want. But my gut tells me I'll have to get the right one open first. The ancients did not make access to their tombs convenient."  
Larson peaked through the left door and groaned. Stairs and ledges. "I think I can manage on my own, Larson. But scrounge around and see if you can find anything useful." And Lara headed through the open door. Minutes passed, then the right door opened. Lara reappeared, and without a word ran through the newly opened door. In another minute the center door opened as well. Lara leaped down from the roof. "Well, that was some good exercise. Find anything?" Larson handed her what looked like a first aid kit and a box of shotgun shells. "Can't imagine who's leavin' this stuff laying around."  
"I don't know about the shells, but that medpack is a gift from the ancients. It's very valuable. I'm glad you found it."  
"Is that the tomb entrance?" Larson asked.  
"I don't think so. But we're getting close. Come on!" 


	3. Teamwork

Soon Larson and Lara were facing an underground waterfall. Above the falls was the opening to a tunnel, and another tunnel opened up behind them. Lara sat down on a boulder and stared at the falls. "I love subterranean waterways. They have such an air of mystery. It makes you wonder where the water's come from, and where it's going. What deep places of the earth has it been to?"  
"Makes me wonder if it's good to drink," said Larson. He knelt down at the edge of the pool and scooped up some with his hands. "Wow, that's good!"  
"It should be. It's the snowmelt from the mountains." Together they filled up their canteens. Lara dunked her face in the water and washed off the dust. "I think I saw a doorway behind the falls," Lara said when she came back up. "My guess is that's the tomb entrance."  
"Why on earth would they build a door behind a waterfall?"  
"Another security measure, of course. The ancients wanted only the best and brightest to access their tombs." Lara pointed to some piping adjacent to the falls. "Those pipes have to lead to a shutoff valve. All we have to do is find it and we're in."  
"It's about time," Larson groused.  
Oh, come on, Larson. Don't be such a wet blanket." Lara glimpsed something on the far wall. She left Larson's side to examine it and cam back a minute later. "There's some machinery there with three gears missing. Looks like we have to find them."  
"I've got just the gizmo for that," said Larson. From his own backpack he withdrew a small metal-detector wand. "It's good for frisking people, but I brought it along to help you find that Scion. If these gears are metal we'll find 'em."  
Together they proceeded down the lower tunnel- Lara on point with her pistols drawn, and Larson sweeping the ground and walls with his wand. Occasionally Larson's wand would chirp and they would dig up the ground to find the source. There were some false alarms, but pretty soon they had found two of the missing gears. The third proved more elusive. They paced all the way from one end of the tunnel to the other with no luck. As they were about to sit down and discuss alternatives Lara spied a coppery glint at the bottom of a pool. "I think that's number 3!" She cried.  
Lara dove into the pool and swam gracefully down to the bottom. "Such an artful breaststroke," Larson thought to himself, looking at Lara's rippling image. "Heh. I'd like to give her the 'breaststroke'. Oh grow up, Larson," he chided himself. As Larson gazed at the pool he noticed something strange about the ripples. Every few seconds he noticed a shivering on the surface. Not spreading outward from a point, which would happen if something dropped in, but rather a vibration covering the entire surface. The shivers became larger and he began to feel it too. Earth tremors. Thump. Thump. THUMP.  
Then he saw it. "God Almighty!" Larson cried out. It was a giant dinosaur! At least 20 feet tall with a mouth full of fangs. A T-rex, without a doubt. But how? Dinosaurs are supposed to be extinct! Larson had just enough time to gasp with horror before it saw him and let out a mighty roar.  
Lara surfaced and held up the gear triumphantly. "I've got it! We're in!"  
"Not yet we're not!" Larson pointed. Lara looked over at Rex but didn't seem too surprised. "The tomb's mighty guardian! Come on. Maybe we can beat it to the entrance." They sprinted back towards the tunnel entrance with the Rex thundering after them. They made it as far as the waterfall chamber before the dinosaur was able to cut off their retreat. Larson drew his pistol and aimed it but Lara pushed it away. "You won't kill it with that thing. Take this flare and distract it." Larson held his arm stretched to the side with the glowing road flare. The Rex was mesmerized by the sight and followed the red glow intently. As the dino was distracted, Lara carefully climbed onto it's back and shimmied upwards.  
"Hurry, Lara!" Rex was bending for a closer look and was almost within chomping distance. Larson dropped the flare from his trembling hand and backed into a corner. The giant lizard bent down and sniffed at the fizzling light, then turned his attention back to Larson. Oh crap, he thought. But Lara was almost done. She had pulled 3 sticks of dynamite from her pack, attached them to the dino's neck with flypaper, and lit the fuse.  
"Take cover!" Lara cried, and she stood up and swan-dove into the entrance pool. Larson ducked behind a boulder just before the dynamite blew. BLAMMO! The giant lizard's head went flying into a thousand pieces and it's body crashed to the ground.  
Lara surfaced. "Did I get him?"  
"That is the damndest thing I've ever seen!" Larson exclaimed. His admiration for Lara rose even higher. She had literally saved his life! Larson's doubts about his orders to kill her became stronger. No, he couldn't do it. No matter what Natla said, he couldn't hurt Lara Croft. There had to be some other way.  
"Now comes the fun part," said Lara. She placed the three gears in their respective places and pulled the lever. The machinery turned and the waterfall slowed to a trickle. Then the door behind the falls ground open. Beyond it lay the Tomb of Qualopec. 


	4. Mistrust

"So what the hell was that thing doing down here? Aren't dinosaurs supposed to be extinct?" asked Larson.  
"The ancients of this civilization did a lot of experimenting with genetics. There are some theorists who say they created whole new breeds of animals. In this case, it looks like they were able to recreate an old one." Lara applied the medical kit to a deep claw mark in her side. Within seconds the wound dissappeared. "Aahh!" Lara sighed. "They also knew how to accelerate growth and healing. These kits are thousands of years old but still potent. Completely irreplaceable though, so we have to use them sparingly."  
Larson was feeling mystified. Dinosaurs and instant healing? Could this place be real? It was giving him the creeps, and the sooner he could get back outside the better. His laptop began chirping which meant he had an incoming call. Yet another mystery, since radio signals normally can't pass through a mountain. But with the day he'd been having this mystery seemed trivial by comparison. He flipped the computer open and saw Natla's smirking face on the screen.  
"Ah, my two adventurers. Since we're able to transmit I take it you have reached our objective. I've positioned our satellite directly over the tomb entrance. You may notice the ceiling crevice which is letting our signal through. Lara, be a dear and scout ahead for me while I talk to my associate in private?"  
"Of course," said Lara, and headed for the tomb entrance.  
"So how goes it?" asked Natla when Lara was gone.  
"Nat, you won't believe it. Me and Lara just killed a damned 20 foot tall dino-"  
"Seal it, Larson!" Natla interrupted. "Not over the air, you fool. There are secrets in that cave that no one knows about. Things that need to remain secret. Anything that you see in these caves needs to stay in the caves. Understood?"  
"Yes, Ms. Natla."  
"Good. I let you go down there because I trust you. I don't give my trust out lightly. That's why it's very important that you get rid of her. Don't forget."  
Larson braced himself to drop his bombshell. This was going to be hard, especially after Natla's talk about trust. "Ms. Natla, I . . I can't do it. I can't kill Lara in cold blood. I've spent some time with her, and I know you can trust her. Tell her what you told me and she'll keep your secret."  
"Going gutless, Larson? Have you forgotten all the ways I have to motivate you? I can have my men at that cave in an hour. If you don't do you're job I'll see you both dead."  
Larson knew she was serious, and every bit capable of carrying out her threat. Natla had men all over the world ready to do her bidding. He couldn't betray Natla, but he couldn't kill Lara either. Larson did what he knew was the only thing he could do - pretend to agree.  
"Sorry, Natla. I've just got the jitters, I guess. Killing's never easy, but I'll see it through."  
Natla reflected for a second. "I trust you, Larson. Don't make me regret it." And she ended the transmission.  
Larson folded up his laptop feeling uneasy. He wondered if Natla still trusted him or if her faith in him had been irrepairably damaged. He cursed himself for voicing his doubts to Natla out loud. He should have known that Natla wouldn't be swayed once she had made up her mind.  
Lara returned from scouting ahead in the entrance to Qualopec's tomb. "I triggered a boulder trap on the way in. I'm okay but the boulder's blocking the entrance. I'm not sure if you'll be able to make it past." Larson took a chilly swim through the drink and saw the tunnel ahead nearly blocked by a giant round boulder. With Larson's broad shoulders he was unable to pass, but slender Lara was able to leap lightly through. "Looks like I'll have to stay behind again. Holler if you need any of them magic first aid kits- I've still got a couple."  
"Right." Lara disappeared inside and Larson was one again left alone with his thoughts. To help pass the time he pulled his emergeny whisky flask from his back pocket and drank deeply. Soon he was feeling toasty and worrying less about Lara. He could tell Lara about his orders and have her go into hiding. A new name, a new home- people do it all the time. Maybe the FBI would help her create a new identity. Just as long as Natla thought she was dead, everything would be okay. He watched the rippling pool and allowed himself to be hypnotized by the waves. Soon it would be over, and everything would be alright.  
Then through the rippling waves he could see Lara's graceful form returning from the tomb entrance. She swam underwater to the pool's edge and then surfaced, holding up the Scion piece triumphantly. "Got it!" she shouted to Larson.  
Larson squinted at the strange piece of metal in Lara's hand. "That's what all the fuss was about? That little thing? I thought it would be bigger, or shooting fire or something, for all Natla was goin' on about it."  
"It's powerful, alright. You just have to listen carefully to tap into it." Lara knelt down and squeezed the Scion piece with both hands. "I can almost hear it-" She stood up and looked at Larson with suspicion. "There's something funny about you, Larson. A strange kind of aura."  
"Could be 'cause I've been drinkin' a little."  
"No, that's not it. It's a feeling like. . . danger, and death." She drew a pistol and aimed it at Larson. "Put your pistol on the ground please."  
"Lara, what on earth-?"  
"I'm going to ask the questions, if you don't mind. The Scion is telling me that you're a danger to me, but it's not telling me why. Can you enlighten me, please?"  
So Larson explained about the last two satellite phone calls he had with Natla, her paranoia about the cave's secrets being revealed, and threats against his own life if he didn't comply. "But I was just pretending to go along with it. I was going to get you to safety- honest!"  
Lara looked bemused but wasn't entirely convinced. "There has to be more to it than that. She must realize that with all of my experience I would know just as much as she does about these caves. Unless-" she looked down at the artifact in her hand. "Because I've felt the power of the Scion myself? And she can't allow me to live . . . because she's planning to use it for some evil purpose? World domination, maybe. Such a cliche," she finished disgustedly.  
"What are you going to do with me?" Larson asked.  
"Hmm," Lara said. "You told Natla in your last call that you didn't want to kill me, and you reversed yourself after she threatened you. And now I'm sensing danger coming from you, but my gut tells me it's not from you directly but rather connected with you in another way. My guess is that Natla already has backup on the way. We really only have one choice. We're going to have to help each other and take out Natla's bad guys." Lara picked up Larson's dropped pistol, removed the magazine and gave it to him. "You'll get the bullets back when the bad guys show up."  
As Larson took back his pistol a strange vibration filled the air. A faint, rhythmic thumping. At first they thought it could be another dinosaur but the vibrations remained faint and distant. thumpa-thumpa- thumpa. Larson looked up at the celing crevice and realized what the sound was. A helicopter. The Natla chopper, without a doubt. "I think they're already here," Larson said. 


	5. Firefight

A/N: Changed all of the "Larsen"s to "Larson". Thanks for the tip:)  
"So how many of them are there?" Lara asked.  
"If it's Natla's usual security detail there'll be four - Max, Roy, Pierre and The Kid."  
"The Kid? Doesn't he have a name?"  
"That's what we all call him."  
"What are they armed with?"  
"The Kid's got a submachine gun, but he's a lousy shot. Max has a 12- gauge but he's pretty slow, and so big that he's hard to miss. Roy has a pair of 6-shooters and Pierre has his .45 automatic. They both have very good aim and they're fast too. We have to watch out for them."  
"We're going to need more firepower," Lara said, and held up the box of shotgun shells. "Show me where you found these."  
They cautiously made their way back into the City of Vilcabama. In the room with three doorways they noticed a skeleton half-hidden by ferns. They turned it over and found a shotgun in it's dead arms. Lara picked it up and examined it. "Nice. A Remington pump-action 12-gauge. Looks pretty new, too. This will help a lot." She fed in six shots of ammo, then held it out to Larson. "Can you handle a shotgun?"  
"Definitely."  
"I'm going to trust you with this. Stay in front of me and don't turn the weapon around."  
"Strange definition of 'trust'. Heh!"  
They continued forward slowly and quietly, using boulders for cover. Soon they could hear the echos of voices, followed by footsteps. The two tensed and crouched down, listening intently.  
"Keep the flashlight on those footprints, Kid."  
"Yeah, I know how to use a stupid flashlight, man!"  
"Maintenant they are close. I can feel it!"  
"Me and Pierre will cover you two. Kid's got the buzz gun so he should go first."  
"Then you hold the flashlight!" Kid said testily, and tossed it to Roy.  
"I need both of my hands. I'm a two-gun fighter," said Roy, and handed it to Pierre.  
"How do you know they're here, anyway?" asked Max.  
"Tres simple. The footprints coming out of the doorway. Soon we will pass them."  
Max squinted ahead. "Two sets of prints. So Natla was right! Larson didn't have the guts to bump off Lara."  
"Bien sur!" said Pierre.  
Max took a position behind a boulder, pointing his 12-gauge ahead. Kid continued forward with his Uzi drawn.  
"This is bad," Larson whispered to Lara.  
"Maybe not. If we can get his Uzi we're in business."  
They jumped as the Kid let off an experimental blast from his Uzi. Bullets pinged off of the rocks and bounced behind Lara where she crouched.  
"Watch the damned ricochets, Kid! You almost hit me!" Max shouted.  
"I think I've got it," Larson whispered. "The Kid's trigger happy, so we'll wait 'til his magazine runs out and then jump 'em. I've got body armor on so I can draw his fire."  
"On the count of three, then?"  
"One, two-"  
"Three!" And the two of them popped up at once. The Kid was caught off guard and hesitated for a split second, unable to choose between his targets. Lara drew a bead on him and fired. Kid dove to the ground while firing wildly. Meanwhile Larson fired his shotgun into Max's position. Max fired back and hit Larson with a few pellets. The armor protected him but the impact caused Larson to fall backwards. Lara continued firing at the Kid, keeping him in retreat and unable to aim his shots. The Kid responded with panic fire as he tried to dodge Lara's bullets.  
Soon the Kid's magazine ran out and he ran for cover. Larson got up and fired his shotgun again, this time scoring a hit on Max. As Max fell over, Larson ran over to the Kid and tore the submachinegun from his grasp. Then he drew his Glock and pointed it at the Kid's head. "Gimme the magazines, Kid!"  
"Yeah right! You're not gonna kill me!" More shots erupted around them. Max had recovered and fired in their direction, then two more shots from Roy and Pierre who were hidden further back in the darkness.  
"I will if those three don't finish us off first. Hurry up!" and he cocked his pistol. Grudgingly the Kid handed over his Uzi clips. Larson thanked him by smashing his fist into the Kid's jaw, knocking him out cold.  
"One down!" he shouted to Lara.  
"I need that Uzi now!" Lara shouted back. She was being pinned down by the combined firepower of Roy and Pierre. Quickly, Larson shoved a clip into the machine pistol and tossed it to Lara. She fired a long sweep into the darkness where the hidden gunmen's bullets were coming from. The bullets that were raining down on Lara stopped.  
"I don't know if I hit them, but it got their attention." In the seconds she bought for herself she pulled the Scion from her pack. She gripped it and closed her eyes. "One wounded, just a little though. If I hang onto this I can home in on their position."  
"We've got to deal with this guy first!" Larson said as he fired another shotgun blast at Max. Max reeled backwards, but was able to fire an answering blast back at Larson. This one hit Larson solidly in the vest and knocked him flat on his back.  
"I've got my armor on too, Larson!" Max taunted. "Isn't this fun?"  
"Lara! Do you have any of what we used on the Rex?" Larson asked, referring to the dynamite indirectly.  
"One more. But I've got to keep those other two pinned down." She tossed him the last stick of dynamite. Larson lit the fuse, gritted his teeth until it burned down to the last few seconds, then threw it at Max. Max scrambled to throw it back but he was too late. BLAM!  
"Two down," Larson mumbled.  
Lara fired her Uzi into the darkness just as two more shots came her way. "Aagh!" she screamed as she toppled backwards from a hit.  
"Lara!" Larson yelled. He ran over to her and lifted her to a sitting position. She gasped for breath as she spoke. "Roy's dead. . . but I didn't get Pierre. Help me."  
"Time for some magic." Larson took out one of the two remaining medpacks and applied it to Lara's bullet wound. In a few seconds Lara was able to get shakily to her feet. "That one wasn't as strong, but I can walk." She picked up the Scion and closed her eyes. "He's leaving. Pierre's heading back to the chopper."  
Larson looked admiringly at the Scion. "That is some handy gadget!"  
"That's an understatement!"  
"So what do you say we get out of here?"  
"What about him?" Lara pointed to the Kid who was slowly coming around.  
"Let's ask him. Want to come with us, Kid?"  
"Where's everybody else?"  
"We took care of 'em," said Larson.  
The Kid shrugged. "'Kay, then."  
Lara helped the Kid to his feet. Then, with the ancient Scion as their guide, the three adventurers made their way back up to the surface.  
***  
Well, that's my story so far. I may continue it at a later date or write a sequel, but only if I get a favorable response. I hope you enjoyed it! 


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